I’m writing this taking deep breaths (in 4, out 4, in 4, out 4) after what was an amazing, tiring, eye-opening second day. One of my main takeaways from today is that everyone is going through something- don’t discount that people are all fighting their own battles- patients, providers, colleagues, and we need to make sure that we still keep our number 1 priority, the patient’s safety, in mind. I was amazed learning more of our patient advocates and faculty’s stories. It made me heartbroken, but also really made me believe in the idea that I could change things by being open, honest, transparent about any mistakes that happen. I felt that the session on communication was immensely helpful in thinking about the best ways to speak with patients and how we might conceptualize a challenging conversation. Things i took away are: 1) body language matters. sit down with your patients! active listening – nod head, respond, support 2) take responsibility – “I’m sorry” means so much, 3) leave space for silence, 4) always always always tell the truth and be transparent- this needs to be a cultural change in our places of school/work.
I took so many lessons from today and am looking forward to day 3.